Too Tall? (rider)

[Twisting]

How big a deal is being too tall for a horse? I’ve been horse hunting for a while after having my confidence rocked by another horse. I found a boy who checks all the boxes and is safe, safe, safe! He’s an adorable 14.2 fjord, and while I’m not too heavy for him at 5’9" my horsey pro friend says I am too tall and I look awkward on him. She says it will impact my ability to ride him effectively and I should pass in favor of something 15.0 or taller. I am willing to admit my torso is a bit tall, but he takes up my leg nicely.

These days all I want to do is trail ride and play around with some low level dressage. How big a deal is being “too tall” going to be? Do I pass on this guy and keep hunting? Or start watching youtube videos on how to clip designs into a fjord’s mane?

[Palm_Beach]

Ignore your “horse pro friend.” Suitability of the horse for the job and temperment are #1, and sounds like you have both in this horse. How does your leg feel on him? If you are comfortable and using your leg effectively, don’t worry about how you may “look.” There are plenty of tallish jr riders on ponies and in some Western disciplines, the horses are under 15 h with big stout men riding them.

He sounds really cute and keep us updated!!

[Trees4U]

Agree with PalmBeach-

I have an old Rodney Jenkins video tape around here somewhere and I remember him saying -" Do you like the ride? -that’s 100% the deal".

[SonnysMom]

Go for it. If the horse makes you happy and you feel comfortable I don’t see a problem.
If you start to jump, especially cross country solid fences, then you might want to re-evaluate suitability. However it doesn’t sound like you want to be jumping.

[clanter]

14.2 is much easier to mount than 16.3 when you are out on a trail

[irish_horse]

I’ll echo the others, if he feels safe, go for it! I leased a 13.2 quarter pony for a summer. I’m 5-6 with a long torso. That pony was a little snot who’d gotten away with too much with little kids, but we had fun out on the trail, and was so easy to get on!

[katyb]

I’m 5’10" and ride a 14.3-15hh mare. She takes up leg nicely. My 6’9" son rides and is obviously “too tall” for any horse we’d ever own, but he isn’t heavy, rides balanced, and it all works out fine.

I think tiny people perched on huge horses look just as funny.

[Palm_Beach]

[QUOTE=katyb;8840644]
I’m 5’10" and ride a 14.3-15hh mare. She takes up leg nicely. My 6’9" son rides and is obviously “too tall” for any horse we’d ever own, but he isn’t heavy, rides balanced, and it all works out fine.

I think tiny people perched on huge horses look just as funny.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I pretty much look like a Thelwell kid on anything over 16 hands.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

I think it depends on your frame of reference. When I was at a hunter barn, I sometimes wondered if I were too tall (5’8") for my 15.1 hh QH, because all these tiny little women rode huge WBs and lofty TBs.

This summer, I bought a 14.3 hh QH. His last owner is 6’1", weighs 230 lbs, and used him to cut cows. I saw a picture of them together and thought how nice and balanced they looked.

I think you need to buy that little fjord. I love me a fjord! I bet you’ll find he is plenty o’horse. :yes:

[stb]

I’m 5’8, my QH is 14.3. He’s the perfect trail partner for me. I like the fact that he’s easy to mount and dismount and he’s quick and handy. I do not feel unbalanced on him. I say go for it.

[betsyk]

Buy the horse who makes you want to come to the barn and ride, and makes you glad to pay the board bills!

[beau159]

@Twisting;8840181

I found a boy who checks all the boxes and is safe, safe, safe! He’s an adorable 14.2 fjord, and while I’m not too heavy for him at 5’9" my horsey pro friend says I am too tall and I look awkward on him.

Complete nonsense uttered by your “friend”!

If you like the horse and he suits your needs, go for it. You are not too tall.

Try telling that to multiple world champion Sherry Ceriv (who is over 6 feet tall) on her world champion horse Stingray (barely 14.2 hands).

Or any of the 6-foot-plus guys riding those little reining horses.

You are not too tall! :lol:

[candyappy]

If your feet were inline with his knees I would say you were too tall. Since you admit your torso is long and that you are looking at a breed known for having a rather solid build, I don’t see where the problem is.

If you like him and feel good on him, tune your " friends " and their opinions out. The horse is for you not them.

[SouthernYankee]

Fjords are stocky enough to carry a large rider. You should be fine as long as you enjoy the ride!!

My fiance is 6’ and rides my 14.1 hand QH. So there is more of a difference for them than you. He looks fine on the horse.

[AKB]

As long as you aren’t jumping big fences or riding at speed, you should be fine. It worries me when I see someone who has a long torso jumping big xc fences. If they become unbalanced, the horse will have trouble compensating for the unstable, large bodied rider.

[billiebob]

I don’t think being “too tall” for a horse is a huge issue unless you’re jumping a decent sized fence. You will have to be careful of how well you hold your torso–this is true for every rider, but it’s especially important for those of us who are a little top-heavy. I’m 6’ tall, more leg than upper body, and my horse is 16.3…but I spent a few years chasing cattle on a 14.1 QH. It’s not a big deal for what you want to do, and anyway, you may as well pay for a horse you like and feel safe on!

[Twisting]

I don’t plan on jumping anything higher than a trot pole. Thank you for all of your lovely enabling. As a reward I will leave you with an adorable, if shaggy, fjord face.

Oli the Fjord

[AKB]

What a cutie!

[katyb]

He’s so cute. Let us know when it is official.

[CenteredRiding]

Just a warning. And maybe there’s just something wrong wth me – but I’ve been leasing a 14.2 quarterhorse with mostly no problems until recently, getting near the end of 6 months. In the beginning I wasn’t in the saddle many days a week -weather or ground work. I gradually worked up to about 5 day and now I’m starting to have a lot of leg pain - knee, hip, IT band, adductor, hamstring. It started with my right leg a while back, now is both legs. I really notice it when I am squeezing or kicking with my lower leg.

I’m thinking it’s because my legs hang maybe as much as a foot below his belly, so when I’m using lower leg on him, it activates that bow-legged shape, which presses laterally against the knee, pulls the thigh out from the hip, and can result in repetitive stress injury like IT Band Syndrome.

I’m now dehorsed until I can think of getting in the saddle without pain. (it’s not saddle fit as this was starting to happen in prior two saddles).

Then again - like you said, there are 6’ men who ride these horses. Maybe i Just need to really concentrate on keeping leg hanging straight down with no bowing. Or wear knee/ankle braces? Maybe a western rider kind of flaps the whole leg instead of just pressing in with the lower part? (I ride English - long stirrups like western, but thinner leathers, no coverings).